Various Artists – "Bouncing In The Red - A Birmingham Compilation" (Odeon – EMC 3343) 1980

 

Top notch production values on this one......DAG NABBIT! now you wait a cotton picking minute there boy!....did one spy an EMI logo attached to this trendsetting local comp?...sure did.Essex Music Industries desperately trying to get the Kids to pick the next hit makers for the ensuing run up to Spotify.

Heavily diluted Reggae of course will always score you points of the Kool kind, but Steel Pulse...nah..,anemic new wave friendly sedative;almost as dull as UB40,who also feature here.

No one dare say it.....Reggae mooziq certainly sucked balls,especially this 'Roots' stuff. Whenever Misty in Roots came on the John Peel show, a nationwide groan could be heard emanating from beneath a million duvets.

Then we have apologists like Moby telling us that the best Hardcore Punk album ever was clearly "Bad Brains"......er, except the Reggae tracks, he added????

Gladly its not all 'racist...moi(?)'....inclusive kool brownie point scoring boredom.

"D'you Like Reggae Son?"

"You can go to the front of the queue".

Dangerous Girls and The Quads make up for it among a bit of Pub Rock funk,some truly horrible big band Jazz and Steve Gibbons' American accent.Did anyone actually buy this?

Lets not forget,the last time i said i didn't like some Reggae, I was subjected to the inevitable accusations of Racism......I might be black as far you know .After all,I'm not racist but......Hey,some of my best friends are Black.....i'm deliberately digging a deeper hole here aren't I?.....after all, no-one likes being labelled a 'racist'do they?....Especially Racists.

Tracklist:

A1 Steel Pulse– Biko's Kindred Lament
A2 Wide Boys – Forty Million
A3 Fashion– Let Go
A4 Dangerous Girls– Clinically Dead
A5 Denizens– Small Wonder
A6 UB40– 25%
B1 Steve Gibbons Band– Sunny Day
B2 Ferrari– Rio
B3 Ricky Cool And The Icebergs– Wait A Minute Baby
B4 Rainmaker – Cruisin'
B5 Mean Street Dealers– I Don't Want To Die Young
B6 Quads – In The Night

DOWNLOAD cheques bouncing into the red HERE!

Various Artists – "Brum Beat Live At The Barrel Organ!" (Big Bear Records – BRUM 1) 1980

We cheekily mentioned the 1974 Birmingham Pub Bombings in the previous posts on Belfast,so the logical progression must be to hear some music from a pub in Birmingham,UK,not Alabama.The alleged Bombers were all arrested, basically for being Irish, and soundly beaten up until they confessed.

They were all pardoned and released some years ago now after serving 16 years at her majesties' pleasure. 

Of course you all know that Birmingham,the UK's second city)....pronounced Birmin-gum in Brummy(the local accent_, and Birming-haaam in the United states (twats....boycott them!)...has a very strong argument in the richly contested arena as to who was the most important city in the British rock'n'roll stakes,and therefore also in The World. The undisputed birthplace of all Heavy Rock,also can boast Moody Blues,ELO, the Move,Led Zeppelin,Black Sabbath,...er...Duran Duran, the worlds best selling Reggae band...UB40....Napalm Death,Traffic, Judas Priest, The (English)Beat), Dexy's,Swell Maps, Spencer Davis Group....I could go on...shit,I forgot Slade!?
Nothing like that steller list on this local compilation, but one of the groups (The Lazers), had ginger chanteuse,T'Pau's Carol Dekker on vocals!...we are definitely worthy.
This is essentialy Birmingham's version of "Hope and Anchor \front Row Festival" with it's Pub Rock sensibility, rather than the cutting edge post-punk vibes one would expect from Brum's own Nightingales. Nowt wrong with that however, me being a big digger of said scene.
Love Pub Rock me,so i do......this really was Punk before Punk in my humbles.
It does boast an act that had a single in John Peels' special box of fav singles....namely The Quads, who recorded the rather splendid "There Must Be Thousands" single that said venerable DJ,and mucky minded lady fiddler played to death in 1980.

I notice this double disked forensic investigation into all things Brummy seems to be sponsored by Ansells Bitter, not,an alcoholic tipple of choice for your average London Punk Rocker,who always seemed to have a can of Colt 45 glued to their hand; and where is Colt 45 now eh?....gone!...just like all the bands featured here....yes, even The Quads are gone and forgotten.Life is harsh innit? That such beauty could come from such a grim shithole as Birmingham is nothing short of amazing.However grim conditions are often touted as the very reason all this great art was created in the first place,an escape route so to speak.Following the Beatles to mansions in Surrey as soon as possible.The fabs couldn't wait to get out of Liverpool, and who can blame 'em?...trouble is the list of groups on this LP are patently stuck in one the world's oldest and grimest industrial conurbations.see this music as a cry for help. 

Tracklist:

A1 Bright Eyes – The Lonely Ones
A2 Bright Eyes – Casablanca
A3 The Lazers– Headache
A4 The Lazers– Rivet
A5 Willy & The Poorboys– My Babe
A6 Willy & The Poorboys– Hoy Hoy Hoy
B1 The Quads – When Everything Is Said & Done
B2 The Quads – Wonders Never Cease
B3 Rockers – It Takes A Thief
B4 Speed Limit – Alright On The Night
B5 Speed Limit – CJ
C1 Dansette Damage– All Little Girls Taste The Same
C2 Dansette Damage– Invaders
C3 Mayday – Moving In Time
C4 Mayday – Standing On The Edge Of The World
C5 Dangerous Girls– Demolition
C6 Playthings – Sally Daydream

D1 The Thrillers –To The Top

D2 The Thrillers – Breakout
D3 Spoonfull – On Your Trail
D4 Spoonfull – Nine 'Til Five
D5 Eclipse– Enjoy Yoursef

DOWNLOAD from the UK's sickened city HERE!

Various Artists – "Belfast Rock" (Rip Off Records – ROLP1) 1978

Despite the fact that the  Rip Off Records cover insist that this rocking Irish Pub Rock album is actually called "Belfast Rock" when the labels clearly suggest its called "Belfast Rocks".

The pun is,for the benefit of our dear american chums, that 'Rock' is in fact a candy-striped seaside sweet treat sold in every UK seaside town...think Coney Island.It normally has the local holiday town's name running throughout the entire length of the 'Stick of Rock'.As the cover art clearly demonstrates.

Belfast's tourism hot spots are not really sandy beaches, or even Bobby Sands graffiti,or H-Block ice cream vendors ,but none other than the Harland and Wolff shipyards,notoriously the place that the unsinkable Titanic was built.If there were Ice cream Vendors hanging around the Falls Road,around this time,would chocolate flavor be called a Dirty Protest with a flake?

This compilation, and most all of bands from Ulster, usually sank without a trace,even though all these bands would undoubtedly have played on as the ship slipped below the waves in a desperate bid to get a record contract,preferably with Stiff records,as judged by the evidence presented here.

Top notch Pub Rock from Belfast, no politics mentioned,just honest sweaty Rock'n'Roll,and not a single Kneecapping in sight.
Tracklist:

A1 Pretty Boy Floyd & The Gems– Spread The Word Around
A2 Blue Steam– Cortina Cowboys
A3 Cobra – Looking For A Lady
A4 Jumpers – Jimmy Jump
A5 No Sweat – You Should Be So Lucky
A6 Detonators– Cruisin'

B1 Blue Steam– Lizard King
B2 No Sweat – Start All Over Again
B3 Cobra – Graveyard Boogie
B4 Pretty Boy Floyd & The Gems– Rough Tough Pretty Too
B5 Jumpers – Baby C'mon
B6 Detonators– Light At Your Window

DOWNLOAD the music from the pubs that the birmingham pub bombers

refused to bomb, HERE!

Various Artists – "Belfast" (Shock Rock – SLR 007) 1980

 

Put down yer Molotov Cocktails,stop throwing those Bricks,as the "Troubles" seem to have fueled one of the very best Local Band compilations in the united kingdom here.
Up there with Bristol's "Avon Calling", "Sent from Coventry",and that one by the Hackney Musicians Collective,and/or "East Of Croydon", to name some obvious candidates.
Such was life dodging ricocheting rubber bullets,and icy blasts from the water cannon,being creative during an insurgency was not,easy.

In fact just leaving home to walk to the subsidized recording facilities was literally risking your life,never mind finding somewhere secure,and free of religious bigotry, to play live.
Not many bands from other parts of the UK took the risk, except The Clash,and Crass,
So the only other option was....here we go again....Do It Yourself.
The crystal clear sound production,and great rock'n'roll guitar sounds,seem to suggest there may have been some local,or maybe even national, financial assistance going down here.
There are a couple of naff ones,but overall,this compilation ROCKS,by bands never to be heard of again.

Indeed,from certain areas of the stinkernet, these bands are Crisis Actors, and Northern Ireland never existed.....which most of us in the UK wished to be true at the time, until those kindly Americans came and sorted it all out for everyone.....and they are still doing it today.It would never have happened under the the Orange man,and he/it would have fixed it in 24 hours. this is why the Orange Men of the Orange order march in tribute to King Donald every year,causing a shitload of trouble(s).

Beam me the fuck UP Scottie!!!!

Tracklist:

A1 Stage B– Recall To Life
A2 Strike – Radio Songs
A3 Ex-Producers– The System Is Here
A4 Ezy Meat– Sexy Lady
A5 Reflex Action– Spies
B1 Strike – Running Past
B2 Reflex Action– Recession
B3 Stage B– Light On The Hillside
B4 Ezy Meat– Soho Escapade
B5 Ex-Producers– Behind The Door

DOWNLOAD fast without any troubles HERE!

Various Artists– "In And Out Of Town" (Out Of Town Records – HOOT L.P. 1) 1981

Here's yet another over-view of pop groups from a grim place ooop Norff.This time it's the turn of sunny Stockport, a grotty satellite town of Manchester....such places are where most Manchester bands came from rather than from Manchester itself.Rather like all Manchester United footie fans come from anywhere but Manchester, places like Dubai,Welwyn Garden City, or Ulan Bator.

Name a famous Manc Band, you may challenge your friend of an evening,and he will predictably forward Joy Division as an answer,and be confident in this before the Smart Phone is activated to google it.Of course your Smart Phone will inform us that Ian and Steve were from Macclesfield, and Hooky and Barney were from Salford Town.

I knew all that,even without a Smart Phone to hand;but due to our over-relience on these brain extensions from Hell, i'm not even sure of my own name anymore without googling it.The death of the Pub Quiz.

There is also the grim prospect of the soon to be released AI-phone, who will roundly take the piss out of your for not knowing that Joy Division wasn't a Manchester band.....a band who coincidentally,will be also probably be your future AI-phone's favourite band.

Also,incidentally, Stockport inexplicably has been twinned with a medieval French Town near my humble abode;namely Beziers.Site of one of the most terrible medieval atrocities during the wars of religion. Perpetrated by the earl of my birthplace in jolly old England,the rabidly anti-semetic Simon De Montfort, Earl of Leicester.He ordered the mass slaughter of the Cathars,by burning them to death in Beziers Cathedral.Don';t worry De Montfort got his just desserts ,and had his Bollocks chopped off and stuffed in his mouth......but this didn't stop Leicester naming a renowned concert hall after him, and also One of the local universities.

If you come from Stockport, then under the rules of Football fanaticism you have no choice but to support Stockport County, your local team,and accident of birth......if you come from Manchester itself,then you should be a Man City fan....there is NO CHOICE!

So these days,Manchester Citzens will have to put up with being funded from the vast wealth of Saudi Arabian Football fan Oil Barons,which is a tad in contradiction of the Football Fan Rulebook is it not?.....another big negative is that the Gallagher brothers are fair weather Man City fans apparently,scoffing at all the light blue plebs from their separate executive boxes.

One other thing that the Mancunians are good at,especially in the early 80's, is making a decent tune in the Post-Punk stylee.It all not bad,with only a couple of cringe laden vocal-isms from the ones who had silly dreams of pop stardom  

 

Tracklist:

A1	Stress –	The Real
A2	C.C. Crim–	Little Girl
A3	Belgian Bitch–	Can't Say No To You
A4	Zanathus–	Baby Baby
A5	Objet D'Art–	For Your Love
A6	Marquis De Sade –	Egyptian Lovers
A7	Cinema Eluminare–	Dangerous Vision
B1	Paris & The Atmospheres*–	Don't Really Love Me
B2	Revue–	Jody
B3	The Images –	Oh Baby
B4	Ride  -	Fairground
B5	John The Poser–	Disappearance Of Ruth
B6	Zanti Misfitz–	Constant Buzz
B7	Airplay –	The Last Time

DOWNLOAD a bit of the old in and out from the sex capital of Lancashire HERE!

Various Artists– "Cry, Havoc!" - (Compiled By Stoke Musicians Collective) - Slip Records – (SLID 1) 1981

 

Hey!Here's a surprise!

After another long repose,the most logical place to re-boot my blogger come-back has to be,of course......Stoke-on-Trent(?).......The birthplace of UK82/D-Beat,and anything else wearing a studded leather bikers jacket.Yoo know who I mean, Discharge GBH, Clay Records and all that involuntarily Celibate white young male stuff(I think its pronounced 'InCell' in nu-speak. 

The potteries,as this grim land-fill site in the black country of the UK, was known, could have done a lot worse than that dubious claim to be lame,and so they did, with yet another of those provincial compilations unleashed upon those disinterested bunch of smug Southerners at Radio One. 'Tis also yet another Musicians Collective, that seemed to multiply like a cancer throughout the New Wave era.

The worst ones were those who were obviously trying their hardest to write a catchy tune,captured on secondhand 8-track tape by a cynical Martin Hannett type refugee from the 60's at the council funded recording facility. Arriving too late for the Wave,which 1981 was, not all of these bands can be dismissed as Nu-Wave white boy funksters,, Reggae-lite costello clones, or Spherical Objects style Fall plagiarizers. There was at least one Minimal Synth (All The Madmen), and the 'oooh ain't we weird' number (Amphibrach Enallage etc), and the 'not-too-Bad band,which in this case is the Platinum Needles......a drugs reference perhaps?

In fact i'm quite enjoying listening to this as i write some misinformed splurge;yes even the cringe parts....purely out of a September years need for nostalgia i may add,but it keeps me relatively non-suicidal dunnit?.....and i never managed to mention Donald Trump once!? 

Tracklist:

A1 Vermilion Hair– Private Eye 3:10
A2 The Decks– Drowning In The Airwaves 3:36
A3 Platinum Needles– Organised Disruption 3:52
A4 The Lemmings– Young At Heart 3:03
A5 White Lightning Blues Band– Neat Scenes 3:02
A6 Doris– Many Miles From Home 3:08
A7 All The Madmen– Superior Life 3:03
A8 The Heaters – Expensive Jeans (Reggie) 3:31
B1 Walter Mitty– Screaming Till The Sun Goes Down 3:57
B2 The Uninvited– Doing The East Berlin 3:02
B3 Vermilion Hair– Hidden Meaning 4:08
B4 White Lightning Blues Band– Shake It Again 1:55
B5 Strate Angel– Rock-O-La 4:19
B6 Time Out – Still On Ice 4:05
B7 Amphibrach Enallage And The Catalectic Paragoge– Re: Bertha De Cool 1:19
B8 Platinum Needles– Telford 2:39

DOWNLOAD and cry HERE!